eChapters

1. Introduction

Apricot is among the highly nutritious fruits of Rosaceae family and appreciated for its health promoting contents. Studies have shown that apricot fruit is effective in preventing stomach ulcers and oxidative damages of living systems (Enomoto et al., 2010; Miyazawa et al., 2006). Apricot tree belongs to genus Prunus in the Rosaceae (rose) family. Apricot (Prunus armeniaca) is categorized under ‘stone fruits’, along with peaches, plums, almonds, and some cherries, due to its seed being enclosed in a hard, ‘stone’ like endocarp. This fruit is native to temperate Asia, first discovered growing wild on the mountain slopes of China, and long cultivated in Armenia later.

Throughout its history, apricot has been noted for delicious flavor, delicate velvety fruit surface, and early flowering and fruiting. The name apricot is a corruption of the Arabic and Greek al-paraecox which means the early fruit. The old spelling ‘apricock’ is retained in English until the 17^th century. The fruits are mainly consumed fresh but are also cooked and often stuffed. The high sugar content makes them suitable for drying. In china they were also preserved by salting and smoking. Other uses include fruit leathers, nectars, and liquors (Janick, 2005).

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca), also known as Armenian plum, is a delicious fruit with a pleasant flavor and aroma. It is consumed fresh, dried or canned and highly appreciated by many. The name ‘apricot’ (albicocco, albericocco) is most probably derived from the combination of arbor and precox from the Latin word praecocia (precocious), due to its early maturation (Faust et al., 1998).

Origin and Distribution

Apricot is native to north-eastern China whereas wild apricot, known as zardalu, belongs to India. It is introduced in India by the european settlers and missionaries during the late 19^th century.

It is grown in different countries viz., Turkey, Uzbekistan, Italy, Spain, Japan, Algeria, Iran and Pakistan etc. Among these countries Turkey, Uzbekistan and Italy are leading producers of apricot (FAO, 2017). In India, it is grown commercially in hills of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and also in some hills in North-eastern states. It can also be grown in the dry temperate areas like, Ladakh, Kinnaur, Lahul and Spiti in Himachal Pradesh and some areas of Jammu and Kashmir. In India, it occupies as area of 13115 ha with a production of 17894 MT (NHB.2010).

Apricot is commonly known as Armenian plum. Its scientific name Prunus armeniaca derives from the assumption that apricot was known in Armenia during ancient times and has been cultivated there for so long that it is often thought to be native of that place. The cultivated apricot has its origin in North-Eastern China, whereas wild apricot, popularly known as ‘Zardalu’, appears to be indigenous to India. Generally, there are two types of apricot, namely, sweet kernel type and bitter kernel type.

• Drought resistant, Salt tolerant and hardy temperate fruit crop
• Highly perishable fruit
• Vitamin A 2600IU
• Thiamine : 217mg/100g
• Wild apricot or Zardalu has originated from India.
• Popular training system – Open vase system
• Apricot bears on spurs and laterally on 1year-old shoots.
• Apricot spur life – 3-4 years
• Ideal thinning agent – NAA @25-50ppm, 20 days after fruit set
• Ideal stage for freezing, canning and drying fully ripe fruits
• Chaubattia Alankar – Kaishu × Charmagz – Low chilling and early ripening
• Chaubattia Madhu – Turkey × Charmagz – Early ripening
• Chaubattia Kesri – St. Amrbois × Charmagz – mid season variety
• Low chilling subtropical varieties – New Castle, Early Shipley, St. Ambroise, Kaisha.

Genus : Prunus 
Species : armeniaca L.
Family : Rosaceae
Chromosome No. : 2n = 16

Of all the temperature fruits belonging to tribe pruneae, apricots after cherries are more exacting in their climatic requirements. For this climate specific, apricots are often described as a fruit that fails where other fruits grow successfully. Apricots lavish continental climate, which is characterized by low rainfall (50 cm per year), warm summers and without much variation in winter temperatures and this winter temperature in temperate regions remain close to -33o C. Apricot trees are said to be drought resistant and can sustains low atmospheric humidity but is very sensitive to low soil moisture content.

5.1 Introduction

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) is an important fruit crop of temperate regions of India. In India, it is mainly grown in the states of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and on a limited scale in North Eastern states. It is popular worldwide owing to their high nutritional value and delicious flavour, which not only can be used as fresh fruit but also has a high importance as processed product (Moradinezhad and Jahani, 2016). Apricot is drought resistant, salt tolerant, hardy and less susceptible to pests and diseases and can be grown with minimum cultural care in the tracts which are otherwise unfit for cultivating other temperate fruits.

Indian gypsy moth: Lymantria obfuscata: Lymantridae

Eggs are laid by the bulky adult female moth, which has only rudimentary wings and hence cannot fly.  Eggs are laid under the bark on the tree trunks or on fallen leaves. They feed on many shade trees and other trees also.  Feeding is gregarious and done during night. The trees are almost completely defoliated. Management involves spot application of contact insecticides at the beginning, when the larvae are small and before they disperse to the different leaves.

Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L) is the most important fruit crop of cold arid regions of India. It is one of the most delicious of temperate fruits having pleasing flavour and truly one of the most delectable of the stone fruits.  Exceptional fruit quality consists of blending of sugar and acidity and strong apricot aroma. It has been appreciated and grown for thousands of years on slopes of mountains in Asia and at least two thousand years in Europe.  There are many uses of apricot. It is enjoyed as fresh fruit but a large portion of the production worldwide is preserved primarily by drying. In China, apricot was not only dried but also preserved by salting and smoking. In Japan, apricot (mume) flowers are revered for their beauty and are used since 7–8th century for ornamental purposes.

ABSTRACT

In Kerala, apart from cultivated sesame species (Sesamum indicum L.) three wild species were identified viz. Sesamum malabaricum, Sesamum mulayanum and Sesamum radiatum. An investigation was carried out to determine the intensity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal colonization in cultivated and wild species of sesame. The percentage of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal infection in roots of different sesame species were found to be variable. The highest percentage of root colonization of arbuscular mycorrhial fungi was found in wild species S. malabaricum, which promotes tolerance to the plant under drought stress conditions.

Introduction

The common mycorrhizal association in most of the plants is the arbuscular type occurring in the majority of agricultural and horticultural crops. Arbuscular mycorrhizae (AM) are formed by non-septate Zygomycetous fungi belonging to the genera Glomus, Gigaspora, Acaulospora, Sclerocystis, Entrophospora, Scutellospora, Archaeospora and Paraglomus in the order Glomales. These fungi are obligate symbionts and have not been cultured on nutrient media. These endophytes are not host specific although evidence is growing that certain endophytes may form preferential association with certain host plants. Several investigations indicted that even in unsterile soils plants do respond to inoculation with efficient strains of arbuscular mycorrhizae. Numerous experiments have been conducted in different parts of the world confirming this growth improvement. The increased growth of mycorrhizal plants is favoured in soils with low to moderate fertility. More specifically, soils favouring mycorrhizal growth stimulation usually have one or more essential nutrients, especially phosphorus, in limiting concentrations.

The mechanism of improved plant growth caused by mycorrhizal inoculation has been investigated by many workers. Greater soil exploration by mycorrhizal roots as means of increasing phosphate uptake is well established. They also improved the uptake other diffusion-limited elements like Zn, Cu, etc. The other beneficial effects are their role in the biological control of root pathogens, biological nitrogen fixation, hormone production and greater ability to withstand water stress (Bagyaraj, 1984).

1. INTRODUCTION

Landscaping is a branch of ornamental horticulture having aesthetic and beautifying value which freshens up the atmosphere, enhances the look of the environment and improves beauty of land. In the area of landscaping, it is beneficial to know about ground covers (grasses etc), hedging plants, and focus plants that will complement one another.

A garden by definition is a piece of land devoted to growing flowers, fruits, vegetables, shrubbery and turf. Gardens brighten their surroundings and they add to the beauty of the landscape. The types of flowers that can be grown in a garden depend on the size of the garden, its location and the amount of sunshine and shade it gets.

Arecanut (Areca catechu L.) or Betel nut is an extensively cultivated tropical palm, belongs to family Arecaceae, fruit (nut) or dry kernel of this tree is popularly known as the betel nut or supari is used for masticatory or Chewing purpose in India and all over world especially in West and South Asia. The major areca nut growing countries are: India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, China, Myanmar, Bhutan, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam. In India, it is an important commercial crop and also forms part of ritual offerings in Hindu religion. India is the largest producer and largest consumer of Arecanut in the world. The present production of arecanut in India is cultivated in about 4.97 lakh ha with a production of 8.33 lakh tonnes of nuts with the productivity of 1.7MT/ha (Source: Department of Agriculture, Govt. of India, 2018). Arecanut is predominantly cultivated in traditional states like Karnataka, Assam, Kerala, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Andaman and Nicobar group of Islands and it’s cultivation is spread to non-traditional areas in Kamataka and Tamil Nadu. Areca nut is providing livelihood security for millions of people in rural and urban areas.

The seed contains alkaloids such as arecaidine and arecoline, which, when chewed, are intoxicating and slightly addictive. The seed also contains condensed tannins (procyanidins) called arecatannins. Chewing the mixture of arecanut and betel leaf is a tradition, custom or ritual which dates back thousands of years in much of the geographical areas from South Asia eastward to the Pacific.

India is the largest producer and consumer of areca nut, Areca catechu also known as betel nut or supari, in the world. It also holds significant cultural and religious importance. Major cultivation is done in Karnataka, Kerala, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Meghalaya and West Bengal. Spindle bug and inflorescence caterpilar are the major pests alongwith root grub, the details of which are provided hereunder:

Spindle bug, Mircarvalhoia arecae (Miller and China) (Miridae: Hemiptera)

It is a major indirect pest of arecanut plantations in all arecanut growing tracts. Eggs are oval having 2 bristle like structures arising from operculum. The nymphs are greenish to violet brown, thorax and border of the abdomen light violet brown and head is light yellow with red eyes. The adult is a hairy dark violet brown bug with black tipped abdomen (Plate 12h) and measures 6mm in length and 2mm in breadth.

Spindle bug: Carvalhoia arecae :Miridae

Spindle bug is a serious pest multiplying rapidly with the close of monsoon. The adults are red and black and nymphs are greenish in colour with reddish brown patches. Both these stages colonize the top-most leaf axils at the base of the spindle. Adults and nymphs suck the sap from emerging spindle, tender leaves and other tender parts. For feeding they move out and later return to the axils again. At the site of feeding a longitudinal narrow, decolourised zone develops rapidly on either side of the puncture, along the length of the leaf blade. The decolourised patch gradually turns yellowish, then brownish, become stunted, twisted and malformed in a few days and dries up. In this way the tissues may break away and drop off in the wind leaving shot holes on the leaves. In cases of severe infestation the leaves get shred, stand erect and the palms become stunted.

AONLA

Emblica officinalis Gaertn

F: Euphorbiaceae

Aonla is one of the most important minor fruits of Indian origin, which is predicted to be the ‘fruit of the 21^st century’ even though it existed from time immemorial. It is also called as ‘Indian gooseberry’, ‘amla’, ‘nelli’, ‘amlaki’, ‘amali’, ‘ambala’ and ‘amalakamu’ in different parts of India. This species is indigenous to tropical SouthEastern Asia precisely the Central and Southern India. The crop is seen in Sri Lanka, Malaysia and China. In India, aonla is being cultivated on a commercial scale in northern parts comprising Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

Indian arid zone is one of the largest sub-tropical deserts of the world, of which 20 % is arid and the remaining semi-arid with varied habitats. The hot arid region is spread over 31.7 million ha mainly in Rajasthan (19.6 m ha), Gujarat (6.22 m ha), Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Rajasthan is the largest state in the country covering approximately 34.2 m ha geographical area out of which 27.1 m ha (79.08 % of total area) is laying in arid and semi-arid climate, spread over 21 out of 32 districts. Western part of Rajasthan is under hot arid climate (Thar Desert) and it extends from 24^º 37’ to 30^º 10’ N latitude and 690 29’ to 76^º 05’ E longitude. Barmer, Bikaner, Churu, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaisalmer, Jalore, Jhunjhunnu, Jodhpur, Nagour, Pali and Sikar districts of Western Rajasthan account for 63.4 % area of  hot arid realm of India. Apart from these, about 10 % area each of Sirohi, Ajmer and Jaipur districts are also in arid region. Punjab and Haryana bound it in North and Gujarat in South. The Aravali hill ranges provide a natural boundary with semi-arid Eastern Rajasthan. In the West, it has a long international boundary with Pakistan.

Aphids: Aphis gossypii :Aphididae

The aphids congregate on growing points and suck the sap. Honey dew secreted by the aphids can cause sooty mould in severe infestation. Attack leads to yellowish speckling and curling of leaves.
 
Thrips: Caliothrips indicus: Thripidae

Characteristic silvery white specks with black dots which are mostly faecal pellets, develop on leaves. Consequently, the leaves dry up.

The term arrowroot is commonly applied to many starch producing plants belonging to different species whose economic part is the rhizome, eaten fresh or made into flour. The term applies both to flour and the plant. All the plants of the arrowroot group have underground rhizomes or tubers from which arise reed like erect stems. The word ‘arrowroot’ is derived from the pointed shape of the rhizome or its known ability to cure arrow injuries. The word itself is derived from the carib word araruta meaning mealy roots. The arawak, a people native to the Caribbean islands, considered arrowroot a dietary staple. They called it aru-aru meaning meal of meals.

1.1 Introduction

Since the beginning of humankind, we have thrived as a species due to our unique capabilities. These skills have developed and progressed over the centuries to the point that, in recent decades, we have been able to build machines that can imitate our intelligence, as far as we comprehend it. A novel type of world may lie ahead of us.

Artificial intelligence is the future, and the future is here." - Dave Waters

Artificial intelligence (AI) refers to the replication of human intelligence in computers, which are programmed to think and behave in a manner similar to humans. Literacy, logic, problem-solving, perception, and linguistic appreciation are all manifestations of cognitive abilities. Artificial Intelligence refers to the development of computer systems, computer-controlled robots, or software that are designed to exhibit intelligent behavior similar to that of the human mind. The term artificial intelligence is composed of the word "Artificial," which denotes something created by humans rather than existing naturally, and "Intelligence," which refers to the capacity to gain and utilize knowledge and skills.AI is achieved by the analysis of patterns in the human brain and the evaluation of cognitive processes. The culmination of these studies leads to the creation of sophisticated software and systems with advanced intelligence. The term AI was coined by McCarthy et al. 2006 while working on Dartmouth summer research project in which they proposed that machines have the capability to emulate "every facet of learning or any other characteristic of intelligence."

Fruit, vegetables and their products are important sources of ascorbic acid. Aonla, guava and citrus fruits are good sources of Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid).Ascorbic acid is sensitive to heat, light and oxygen but is stable in acidic
 media. The methods for estimation of Ascorbic acid are based on the reduction of 2,6 -dichlorophenol - indophenol dye by ascorbic acid and those based on the reaction of dehydroascorbic acid with 2,4- dinitrophenylhydrazine. However,the 2,6 -dichlorophenol - indophenol dye reduction method is most commonly used in the estimation of ascorbic acid in fresh fruit and vegetables and their processed products.
2,6 dichlorophenol - indophenol visual titration method
The dye, which is blue in an alkaline solution and red in an acid solution, isreduced by ascorbic acid to a colorless form. The reduction is quantitative and specific for ascorbic acid in solutions in the pH range of 1-3.5.
Reagents
i. 3% Metaphosphoric acid (HPO3) solution:Dissolve 3g sticks/ pelletsofMetaphosphoric acidin a volumetric flask and make volume to 1oo ml with glassdistilled water.